Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, told "The Dan Patrick Show" Friday that Keenan Reynolds has been given permission to play for the Ravens this year.
The Navy will require Reynolds to serve his five-year commitment to the force in the Naval Reserves, allowing him to play football full-time. New England Patriots long-snapper Joe Cardona is getting the same treatment.
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In a statement, Babus said the decision to allow Reynolds and Cardona to play professional football “will provide the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of the Navy (DON) significant favorable exposure, enhance national recruiting, and serve as a positive ongoing contribution to DoD public affairs efforts,"
Before being taken by the Ravens in the sixth round of last month’s NFL Draft, Reynolds set the career NCAA record for total touchdowns (88), rushing yards by a quarterback (4,559) and points scored (530), and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season.